Decorative wall covering



Jan. 2, I 1940. G. DESAGNAT DECORATIVE WALL COVER ING Original Fii d Jan. 6, 19:51

Fag 3 I 1 porcelain, stone plates,

seamed Jam 2, 1940' UNITED STATES PATENT orr es naconarrvr. WALL covnamo Gaston Dsagnat, Paris, France Original 7 No.

The present invention 1,930,140, dated October 17, 1933,

Serial No. 506,962, January 6, 1931. Applicatlon for reissue October 6,

1939, Serial No.

298,225. In France January 13, 1930 11'Claims. (01. 41-22) relates to covering or facing of such hard materials as glass (with or without a mirror or other for walls, ceilings and faces.

ornamental backing),

marble plates and the like like plane or curved sur- An object of the invention is to provide a covering of the above character which lends itself 'readily to application to the wall surface to be decorated therewith and the security and accuracy of attachment and integrity of which is not impaired even though the wall may shift or from time to time parts of become slightly displaced due to vibration and temperature variation.

Another object is to provide a wall covering of the character set forth,

which though presenting a facing of rigid or hard material, yet has sufficient flexibility to permit application thereof upon an irregular or curved wall structure, and

which moreover admits of sufficient distortion of its face area to take up differences in height or lack of parallelism, as for and ceiling.

instance between floor Another object is to provide a wall covering of the above character which lends itself readily to attaining a wide variety of decorative eifects and in which vulnerable ornamental means, such as metal foil, flowers, leaves or colored pastes are effectively applied to glass or like covering material and are sealed against and protected from attack or deterioration due either to atmospheric conditions or to the effect icals from the wall to whi plied.

of moisture or obesech the covering is ap- According to the invention the hard decorative material of porcelain, stone plate, marble plate or the like, or of glass with decorative backing or facing, is notglued directly to the wall, but

is mounted upon 9. ply of flexible backing material, extending the full area of the covering and securely glued thereto. The backing material is 0! close texture and not readily pervious to viscous fluid such as mastic, so that the adhesive by-which it is bonded to by which the hard facing the wall, and the glue material is bonded to its front face, do not penetrate the thickness of such backing. V

The backing material preferred for the purpose is swanskin,or,canton flannel, whichis a textile fabric of cotton least one side thereof, but,

having a long nap on at if desired, abacki'nk of fem-cloth, rubber, sponge rubber, cork or the like could be used to advantage in place of the swanskin. r While the backing mate rial may il-rstbe glued ibility by a large stiff covering sheet, but due to the jointed relation of successive tiles will accommodate itself to various irregularities of the wall surface to be covered. Moreover under ten- 15 sion, backing. material of swanskin may be stretched somewhat longitudinally and transversely since it is not restrainedby the rigid tiles at the plurality of joints therebetween. Accordingly the backing may be drawn out sufliciently x in the process of application to the wall to take up slight divergence between adjoining sections thereof, due for instance to difference in height or lack of parallelism between floor and ceiling.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown certain of the various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 shows a view in longitudinal crosssec-- tion of one embodiment of the covering material shown applied to a wall,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 embodiment, 1

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a further embodiment in which the rigid decorative facing is composed of small tiles, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawing, decorative leaf 2 of any of various materials such as metal foil is arranged between two glass sheets or panels I and 3 and adhesively connected thereto. Thus the delicate decorative leaf exposed to view through the glass sheet 3 is protected by. the two glass sheets I and 3 between which itis sandwiched, against against moisture or other exudation from the 30 of .a second 'wall to which it is to be applied. The panel as hesive at the rear face of the backing. The

The 10 backing fabric is thus not restrained in its flexmechanical injury, and

' the bond thereof to the backing,

napped swanskin I protects the facing and also by taking up mechanical stress due to vibration or temperature change of the wall.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2 the decorative efiect is attained by a ply of wood I. Since such wood will not admit of efiective attachment directly to the glass surface 8, the latter is first coated with a layer of gelatin 9 or the like, upon which the ply of wood I is in turn glued. The backing of swanskin 6 is glued to the back of the glass plate 8 and in turn is glued to wall 5. The ply of wood is preferably covered at its exposed fzce with a coating of fatty or cellulosic lacquer i In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, the swanskin may be replaced by a backing of felt, cloth, rubber, sponge rubber, cork or the like which like the swanskin will take up mechanical stress, due to vibration or temperature change of the wall.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4 a section or unit of the wall covering is shown sub-divided into a multiplicity of distinct small rectangular elements or tiles ll. For that purpose such facing is preferably glued upon the backing l3 of swanskin of corresponding dimensions, then cut up into small elements or tiles I4 with an appropriate cutting took-in the case of glass with a diamond or the like--and the parts are severed at the cuts, without however loosening the same from the backing.

Illustratively the back of each tile i4 is shown coated with a layer I2 of decorative paste which coating is shown directly glued to the ply I3 of swanskin. Thus is obviated the intervening thickness of glass l and 8. respectively used in the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2 for protection of the interleaf in Fig. l and of the; facing 9 in Fig. 2.

Direct gluing of tiles to the wallwould be relatively arduous and time consuming, and when the wall tobe covered thereby is subject to marked variations in temperature or to vibrations, the tiles would be abt to become loose. Wall covering sections according to my invention as shown for instance in Fig. 3, are readily glued I to the wall or other surface to be covered and I will accommodate irregularities in the wall surface. Moreover, because of the considerable number of joints between successive tile elements I 4, the swanskin backing may be drawn out sufli ciently longitudinally and transversely, to take up slight difl'erences in height or lack of parallelism between the floor and ceiling, so that contiguous edges of successive sections or assemblies such as shown in Fig. 3 may be readily disposed along a continuous surface, with the edges in juxta-position throughout the lengths thereofl After the covering has thus been mounted, the napped swanskin backing 4 guards against strain upon the back of the tile facing or upon the bond thereof to the backing, by taking up mechanical stress due to vibration or temperature change of-the wall.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

secured by gluing to the wall to be covered, comprising a rigid decorative plate such as a glass sheet, glued'upon a backing sheet of flexible and compressible material of close texture and not readily pervious to viscous fluid such as mastic whereby the adhesive by which the covering is bonded to the wall and the between successive tiles.

glue by which said plate isibonded to said backing sheet do not penetrate' the latter.

,2. A decorative covering structure adapted to be directlysecured-by gluingfto a wall, comprising a rigid plate such as a glass sheet and a flexible backing sheet to which said plate is glued, said plate being subdivided into a multiplicity of tiles in jointed relation upon said backing sheet, said backing sheet being of flexible and compressible material of close texture, not readily 'pel'vious to fluid such as mastic, whereby the adhesive by which the covering structure is 'bonded to the wall and the glue by which the rigid decorative plate is bonded to said hacking do not penetrate the thickness of such backing.

3. A decorative covering for walls comprising the combination of a pair of rigid plates including a front plate of. glass, decorative sheet material sandwiched therebetween, and a backing sheet of flexible and compressible swanskin, said elements being united by gluing the decorative sheet between the rigid plates and the rear of the latter to the backing sheet.

4. A decorative covering for walls comprising the combination of a glass plate, a layer of gelatin thereon and a decorative facing sheet at tachedwith respect to the glass by gluingwith respect to said layer of gelatin and a sheet of flexible and compressible swanskin attached to the rear face of said glass plate by gluing and adapted to be glued to a wall. 5. A decorative covering for walls comprising the combination of a glass plate, a layer or gelatin thereon and a decorative ply of wood attached with respect to the glass by gluing-with respect to said layer of gelatin, a coating of lacquer on the exposed surface of said ply of wood and a sheet of flexible and compressible. swanskin attached to the rear face of said glass plate by gluing and adapted to be glued to a wall.

6. A decorative covering adapted to be directly secured by gluing to a wall, comprising a rigid 'sheet of transparent material having its rear surface coated with decorative material and a backing of flexible and compressible swanskin adhesively secured thereto.

7. A decorative covering adapted to be directly secured by gluing to a wall to be coated, comprising a multiplicity of tiles glued in jointed redecorative layer on the rear surface thereof and a. backing sheet of flexible and compressible swanskin to which said plate is glued, said plate being sub-divided into a multiplicity of tiles in jointed relation upon said backing sheet, the latter having longitudinal and transverse extensibility at the considerable number of joints 9. A decorative covering structure adapted to be directly secured by gluing to a wall, comprising a rigid plate such as a glass sheet and a'flexsaid plate being subdivided into a multiplicity of tiles in jointed relation upon said backing sheet, said backing sheet being of flexible woven fabric presenting a soft compressible surface, not readily pervious to fluid such as mastic.

1.0. A decorative covering structure adapted ible backing sheet to which said plate is glued,

be directly secured by gluing to a Wall, compris- I ing a rigid plate such as a glass sheet and a flexible backing sheet to which said plate is glued, said plate being subdivided into a multiplicity of tiles in jointed relation upon said backing sheet, said backing sheet being of cork, flexible and compressible and of close texture not readily pervious to fluid such as mastic.

11.. A decorative covering structure adapted to 

